Caleb

You dont want to buy me. Ill kill the man who buys me. Despite that outrageous threat, plantation owner Boyd Jardine buys Caleb and puts him to work in the fields. But soon Jardine discovers that his new slave is both better educated and more widely traveled than himself. When Jardines pregnant wife dies and Caleb saves the unborn child, Jardine grows increasingly dependent on him not only as a servant but also as a companionand so their relationship as master and slave begins to change. As the Civil War looms and Calebs thirst for freedom grows, Jardine reluctantly agrees to let the slave buy his freedom. Caleb has no money, but Jardine comes up with a scheme: Caleb can earn the price of freedom by fightingand winningboxing matches. Butin an ever more turbulent political climateeven if Caleb makes enough to purchase his freedom, what then? Freedom papers dont mean much in a state of war. Set against a conflict that threatens to split a nation, Calebs story is both tragic and triumphant. Revised edition: This edition of Caleb includes editorial revisions. See more